Ho, Ho, Ho

Wednesday, December 24, 2008 - Oh, What a Christmas To Have the Blues ...

Intro
Elvis Presley - Merry Christmas, Baby
Mack Rice - Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'
Lightnin' Hopkins - Santa
Eddie Campbell - Santa's Messin' With the Kid
Big Joe Williams - Christmas Blues
Lemmy Kilmister, Billy Gibbons, and Dave Grohl - Run Rudolph Run

First Break

Louis Jordan - Santa Claus, Santa Claus
Amos Milburn - Let's Make Christmas Merry, Baby
Louis Armstrong and Friends - Christmas In New Orleans
Robert Goulet - Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Kay Martin and Her Body Guards - I Know What You Want For Christmas
Jimmy Butler - Trim Your Tree
Earl King - Santa Don't Let Me Down
Canned Heat - Christmas Boogie (The Chipmunk Song)

Second Break

Leadbelly - On a Christmas Day
Bumble Bee Slim - Christmas and No Santa Claus
Lowell Fulson - Lonesome Christmas, Parts I and II
B.B. King - Christmas Celebration
Charles Brown - Christmas Present Blues
Lightnin' Hopkins - Christmas Blues
Elvis Presley - Blue Christmas

Third Break

John Lee Hooker - Blues For Christmas
Leroy Carr - Christmas In Jail (Ain't That a Pain)
Foghat - All I Want For Christmas Is You
Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns - All I Want For Christmas (Is a Little Bit of Music)
Texas Pete Mayes - Christmas Holidays
Sonny Boy Williamson - Sonny Boy's Christmas
The Black Ace - Christmas Time (Beggin' Santa Claus)
Roosevelt Sykes - Let Me Hang Your Stockings In Your Christmas Tree
Seymour Swine and the Squealers - Blue Christmas

Whooooooo

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - Just Killin' Time

Good times. Here's the set:

Intro
Mississippi Joe Callicott - Good Time Blues / Ain't-a Gonna Lie To You
Elmore James - Mean Mistreatin' Mama / Greatest Hits (Cleo Records)
Skip James - Look At the People Standing At the Judgment / Devil Got My Woman [for Jethro]
Son House - Am I Right or Wrong / Complete Library of Congress Recordings 1941-1942
Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page - Tribute To Elmore / Strictly the Blues
David "Honeyboy" Edwards - Bad Whiskey & Cocaine / Delta Bluesman
The Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post / The Allman Brothers Band [Cliff's Pick]

First Break

Pink Anderson - I Had My Fun / Carolina Bluesman, Vol. 1
Louisiana Red - Rollin' Stone / Louisiana Red Sings the Blues
Stackwaddy - Country Line Special / Bugger Off!
Jimmy Reed - Cold & Lonesome / T'aint No Big Thing but He Is ... Jimmy Reed
B.B. King - The Beginning of the End / Take It Home
Elvis Presley - Steamroller Blues (Live) / Aloha From Hawaii: Via Satellite
Lightnin' Hopkins - Glory Be / Houston Bound

Second Break

Billy Boy Arnold - Too Many Old Flames / Eldorado Cadillac
Robert Johnson - Last Fair Deal Gone Down / King of the Delta Blues Singers
Francine Reed - One Monkey (Don't Stop No Show) / I Got a Right! ... To Some of My Best
Eddy Clearwater - Tore Up All the Time / Boogie My Blues Away
Catfish Keith - Come Back, Old Devil / Jitterbug Swing
Magic Slim and the Teardrops - I Can't Trust My Woman / Black Tornado

Third Break

George "Wild Child" Butler - I Just Can't Please Her / Stranger
John Lee Hooker - I'm Bad Like Jesse James / Boom Boom [for Lukas]
Cephas and Wiggins - Crow Jane / Richmond Blues
Slim Harpo - Baby Scratch My Back / Tuesday's Just As Bad (V/A)
Sonny Landreth - Pinegrove Blues / Slide Guitar Blues (V/A - Icehouse Records)
J.B. Lenoir - I've Been Down For So Long / Eisenhower Blues
Blue Cheer - Rock Me Baby / Vincebus Eruptum

Very special holiday celebration coming up next week! Until then, stay positive.

Shoeless

Checkmate

Wednesday, December 10, 2008 - Celebrating Chess Records

So last Friday, a little ol' movie about a little ol' label that played some little ol' soul blues came out in theaters ... and they called it Cadillac Records. (The actual label, of course, is the world-famous Chess Records). Since opportunities like this don't arise very often (meaning ever), we decided to celebrate the occasion (as we have a way of doing). We picked up a copy of the soundtrack and played it more or less in its entirety - hopefully you were able to catch it. Cadillac Records is in theaters now - go check it out and enjoy an education in the finest in 50's and 60's blues! Well, that and the ever-beautiful Beyoncé Knowles flexing her vocal muscle in what was likely one of the most daunting roles to undertake in cinematic history (other than Jesus, James Bond, or Johnny Cash) - the legendary Etta James.



With the exception of this week's Cliff's Pick, all songs from the first two sets are from the two-disc deluxe edition of the Cadillac Records OST. Here's the set:

Intro
Buddy Guy - Forty Days and Forty Nights
Jefferey Wright (as Muddy Waters) and Bill Simms, Jr. - Country Blues
Beyoncé Knowles (as Etta James) - All I Could Do Is Cry
Mos Def (as Chuck Berry) - No Particular Place To Go
Eamonn Walker (as Howlin' Wolf) - Smokestack Lightnin'
Jefferey Wright (as Muddy Waters) - I'm a Man
Clarence "Frogman" Henry - Ain't Got No Home / Ain't Got No Home: The Best of Clarence "Frogman" Henry [Cliff's Pick]

First Break

Beyoncé Knowles (as Etta James) - At Last
Terrence Blanchard - Radio Station
Columbus Short (as Little Walter) - My Babe
Jefferey Wright (as Muddy Waters) - I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man
Elvis Presley - My Babe
Mos Def (as Chuck Berry) - Maybellene
Soul 7 and Kim Wilson - Juke
Little Walter - Last Night

Second Break

Howlin' Wolf - Forty Four / Moanin' In the Moonlight [from Farmer Ted to J.Weezy]
Little Milton - Blues Get Off My Shoulder / If Walls Could Talk
John Lee Hooker - In the Mood / The Real Folk Blues
Willie Mabon - Seventh Son / Mr. I-Don't-Know Man
Pigmeat Markham - Here Comes the Judge / Here Comes the Judge
Otis Rush - I Can't Quit You Baby / The Devil's Rejects OST
Jimmy McCracklin - Hurt Me / Jimmy McCracklin Sings
Jody Williams - What Kind of Gal Is That? /Chess Blues Guitar, Vol. 1 (V/A)

Third Break

Bo Diddley - Look At My Baby / Road Runner: The Chess Masters 1959-1960
Blue Smitty - Date Bait / House Rockin' Blues (V/A)
Jimmy Witherspoon - When I Been Drinkin' / Jazz Me Blues: The Best of Jimmy Witherspoon
Hound Dog Taylor - Watch Out / The Hound
Sugar Pie DeSanto - Blues Hall of Fame / Refined Sugar
B.B. King - The Thrill Is Gone / The Ultimate Collection

You know the business ... send us your requests. Until next week ... stay positive.

Shoeless

'Sup Finals?

Wednesday, December 3, 2008 - You're Never Gonna Sleep Again!

At a time like finals week, a guy like me sure does question why people break their backs for a college degree. They sure don't make it easy ... ha. I'm not complaining, though. College has been the greatest time of my entire life. And to be honest, I wasn't particularly looking forward to driving to and from the studio after back-to-back-to-back-to-back sleepless nights, but as you do time and time again, you guys absolutely made it exciting to be there. As soon as I step in the studio, my cares, my stresses, and my responsibilities just vanish, even if only for that sweet, fleeting moment. We were on the phone during just about the whole show, it seemed like, and those calls made this one of my favorite nights to date. Thank you so much for the kind words, Hot'Lanta - they go miles and miles and miles. I swear, man, Johnny and I are living the dream - this job is awesome.

Here's the set:

Intro
Jimi Hendrix - Catfish Blues / Blues [Cliff's Pick: Super Special Belated Birthday Edition]
Neal Pattman - Momma Whoopin' Blues / Prison Blues
Tom Waits - Filipino Box Spring Hog / Mule Variations [for Uncle Milo]
Slim Fatz - Fly Away / Hard Time Ago
Magic Slim - Highway Is My Home / Highway Is My Home

First Break

Pink Anderson - Weeping Willow Blues / Carolina Bluesman, Vol. 1
T-Bone Walker - Stormy Monday / T-Bone Blues [for Chris]
Willie Hudson - It's You I'm Going To Miss / Meat and Gravy From Bea and Baby (V/A)
John Dee Holeman and Taj Mahal - Give Me Back My Wig / Bull Durham Blues
Howlin' Wolf - Smokestack Lightning / Smokestack Lightning
Jimmy Reed - Bright Lights, Big City / Tuesday's Just As Bad (V/A)
Willie King - Betty's Place / I Am the Blues

Second Break

Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis - Crying Won't Make Me Stay / Modern Chicago Blues (V/A)
Dinah Washington - Long John Blues / The Complete Dinah Washington On Mercury
Mississippi John Hurt - Nobody's Dirty Business / Avalon Blues: The Complete 1928 OKeh Recordings [for David]
Black Cat Bones - Death Valley Blues / Barbed Wire Sandwich
Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, and Junior Mance - Talkin' 'Bout Women Obviously / Buddy & the Juniors

Third Break

Lightnin' Slim - Hoodoo Blues (aka Voodoo Blues) / High and Low Down
Robert Wilkins - That's No Way To Get Along / The Original Rolling Stone
The Allman Brothers Band - It's Not My Cross To Bear / The Allman Brothers Band [for Pappy Mahan]
Lightnin' Hopkins - Bald Headed Woman / Texas Blues
The Sultans - Lemon Squeezing Daddy / Vocal Groups: Classic Doo Wop (V/A)
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Bad Boys Blues / Skynyrd Collectybles

I love this job as much or more than I did the very first time I sat down at the mic ... and you guys are a huge part of that. Until next week, stay positive.

Shoeless